Azerbaijan Warns of Escalation After Repeated Attacks on Its Energy Assets in Ukraine

A massive Russian drone strike destroyed a SOCAR oil depot near Odesa, sparking a fire that burned all night and raising tensions between Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Russia. All Fuel Storage Tanks Destroyed On the evening of August 17, Russian forces launched a large-scale drone strike using Geran drones against an oil depot owned by the Azerbaijani company SOCAR. The attack triggered a huge fire that required more than 100 rescuers, National Guard troops, and a fire train to contain. According to Azerbaijani media outlet Minval, all fuel tanks, the pumping station building, operator facilities, weighing stations, and technical premises were damaged. Emergency crews immediately began restoration work. Ukrainian Authorities Confirm Strike Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, confirmed that a “fuel and energy facility and a two-story building” caught fire in the suburbs of Odesa. Videos circulated online showed flames and plumes of black smoke. The depot’s total storage capacity was estimated at over 16,000 cubic meters of oil.